Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Porter.
Hi Olivia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started my journey as a business major thinking I’d be building up economies through tourism. After graduating university I jumped into hospitality but quickly realized my analytical side craved something different. I explored various roles from accounting to marketing to tech and eventually fell in love with technology by literally taking apart computers, putting them back together, and teaching myself to code.
After going back to school for software development, I landed my first developer role in San Diego, which opened up a whole new world for me. The role was within their Salesforce team and I jumped both feed into the platform. As I grew my skills, I had a nagging feeling that I wanted to merge my love of travel with my new love of software. I pitched my employer to allow me to work remote full time so I could live out my dream. Four months later I was a digital nomad, living in 16 different countries while working remotely. That experience shaped my vision of freedom—of time, location, and money—and inspired me to start Free Thinkers Consulting.
Free Thinkers Consulting was born from the idea that you can have it all: meaningful work, freedom, and a balanced life. While the consulting world often struggles with work-life balance, we’ve set out to change that by creating an environment where our team can thrive personally and professionally. We have grown to a boutique size of 8 and focus on on-shore, senior level talent. We’re proud to deliver high-quality solutions to small and mid-market Salesforce clients while truly enjoying the journey. We became an official Salesforce Partner in 2023, and absolutely love every minute of it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not a perfectly smooth road. In the early days, the biggest challenge was building trust as a small, independent consultancy in a space dominated by large firms. I had to wear every hat—developer, salesperson, project manager and that meant long hours and steep learning curves.
Another hurdle was figuring out how to grow without compromising quality. As demand increased, I was intentional about building a team of senior-level experts rather than rushing to hire just to fill seats. That decision slowed our growth at first, but it’s the reason our quality is what it is today.
We’ve been impressed with Free Thinkers Consulting, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Free Thinkers Consulting is a boutique Salesforce development partner that helps small and mid-market companies get the absolute most out of their Salesforce investment. We specialize in transforming Salesforce from a basic CRM into a fully automated, connected, and efficient growth engine.
We’re known for meticulous quality—every project is senior-led, 100% on-shore, and tailored to each client’s unique business. That precision means our solutions work right the first time, creating measurable results without endless rework. It’s also the reason we can maintain a healthy work-life balance for our team—when the work is exceptional, there’s no need to be in constant firefighting mode.
We work primarily with companies in FinTech, Manufacturing, and Service industries, providing managed services, custom development, and post-implementation optimization. Brand-wise, we’re most proud that our name has become synonymous with clarity, reliability, and trust. Clients know that when they work with us, they’re not getting a rotating cast of junior resources—they’re working directly with seasoned experts who care as much about their business outcomes as they do.
We became an official Salesforce Partner in 2023, and our goal is simple: to be the most trusted boutique Salesforce development partner in North America, delivering real results and genuine human partnerships.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
The truth is, you’ll never feel 100% prepared, and the real learning happens in the doing. Be intentional about the kind of business and life you want to build. It’s easy to chase every opportunity in the early days, but if you’re not clear on your values and non-negotiables, you can burn out fast. For me, that meant deciding early on that quality would come before speed of growth, and that my company would support a healthy work-life balance, not destroy it. Lastly, invest in relationships. Most of our best opportunities came from people I built trust with long before they became clients. The work you put into your network will almost always pay off more than the hours you spend cold pitching.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://freethinkersconsulting.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freethinkersconsulting
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-porter-a3484551/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4iANOuWUe4RQa6tIoOteAg
